Lyons: Waechter apology needed after resignations

This isn't a case where a public official is denying guilt and claiming biased deputies got the wrong guy

Tom Lyons

Bob Waechter's emailed resignation arrived just in time to save the Sarasota County Commission an awkward session discussing what the heck to do with him.

Resigning was the right thing to do, certainly. But I'm a little disappointed he did it.

It could have been educational to see how each of the five commissioners, all Republicans, might have handled the situation of that local Republican insider — and in some cases, friend and ally — who has been charged with a bizarre and character-revealing crime.

To review: Waechter, recently chairman of Sarasota County's Republican Party, is charged with identity theft with the apparent aim of damaging a Republican rival's political reputation. The probable cause affidavit says he made campaign donations to two Democrats, but made them in the name of fellow Republican Lourdes Ramirez.

That apparently illegal and certainly scammish trick could have been used against Ramirez, to label her a two-faced, disloyal Republican if, as expected, she soon ran for a County Commission seat.

Since his arrest and release on bail in December, Waechter has remained mum about the accusations, publicly. But he did send word to the governor's office that he would not seek reappointment to the Sarasota Bradenton Airport Authority. And so, it seemed odd when, at first, he sent no similar word about his appointed seats on Sarasota County's Board of Zoning Appeals and on the Tourism Development Council.

Zoning Appeals decisions especially should be made by people who have at least the plausible appearance of being ethically sound with a strong sense of fairness. Waechter's public appearance no longer fits the job.

But his closest friend on the County Commission, Nora Patterson, said legal advice she got had left her unsure whether forcing Waechter off of those boards would have been legal.

“I did go to the county attorney and asked,” Patterson said.

She says she was told that removal had to be for cause, but that it wasn't clear if a criminal charge was enough. Her impression, though, was that “cause would probably not be established until either he pled guilty to something or was found guilty of something.”

For the sake of the next time this sort of thing arises, I hope she is wrong. A criminal case can take a long time.

Patterson told me she had expected other commissioners to raise the matter at today's commission meeting, and that would not have been pleasant.

“I don't like what Bob did,” she said, But “Bob is a friend and he's been my friend for many years. And by the way, Lourdes Ramirez is a friend, also.”

Awkward spot indeed.

Patterson said she didn't want to comment on the charge against Waechter except to say she thinks he feels regret, and “I think it's a deeper regret than just regretting the consequences.” She said “Politics has gotten pretty combative,” and though her friend is a nice guy, “maybe people just get sucked into it.”

Well, many in politics become harshly negative about those they disagree with, and even unreasonably mean about it. Some believe any bad thing about those on the other side, no matter how thin the evidence.

But only a special few stoop to the point of manufacturing fraudulent evidence of a lie.

And though finally sending his resignation letter was the right thing to do, Waechter's letter has no hint of apology. Rather, he focuses on portraying himself as a provider of unselfish service to the community.

“I have invested thousands of volunteer hours on multiple boards and community organizations,” he wrote.

His letter even implies there is something unfair about having to resign from those boards, while faced with “the apparent willingness to forgo due process and the rush to judgment by some in our community.”

That's just sad. This isn't a case where a public official is denying guilt and claiming biased cops got the wrong guy. Tom Knight, the sheriff who charged Waechter, is a friend of his acting reluctantly. Waechter was caught on video. He has said and done nothing to explain or give anyone reason to think the charge is unfair in any way.

What's wrong here isn't a rush to judgment, but rather Waechter's complete lack of rush to apologize.

Tom Lyons can be contacted at tom.lyons@heraldtribune.com or (941) 361-4964.